MANILA TRAFFIC? DIBZ TO THE RESCUE!

By Athina Angliongto - 7:14:00 PM

Oh Manila traffic! I mean really, Manila has been associated
with the word “TRAFFIC” for the longest time already. Whenever I go to Manila
for work related training or just to visit my in-laws, it’s always “Hello
Manila traffic. We meet again”. Who could blame me? That’s what I encounter
each and every time I go there.

But to our surprise, the traffic in Manila is not just about
the number of cars present in the Metro. Most of us don’t realize this but one
factor that we sometimes fail to consider is that traffic is also caused by
lack of parking spaces. Surprise, surprise! Yes, I think most of us fail to
realize this one huh.

I’m not saying we should rule out the great number of
vehicles owned or operated by Metro residents, nor also rule out accidents which
also causes traffic, etc. There are actually a lot to mention on what causes
traffic. But parking spaces is definitely one of them!

It’s a domino effect. Let’s think of a scenario here. Say
for example a male employee with a car drives to work one day (It’s not coding
day, by the way). So he arrives at the building where he works in but
unfortunately, there’s no more parking space in that building. So he drives
back to the road and looks for an empty parking space nearby to park his car.
So because of this, he joins the number of car owners also on that same road
probably looking for other parking spaces, causing a slight build-up of
traffic. Ten minutes have gone by and still no parking. By this time, more car
owners join him causing more traffic build-up which is heavier than ten minutes
ago. After another ten minutes, the male employee finally finds a parking space
but the catch is, it is located 5 kilometers away from the building he works
in. Then apparently, the male employee is already late for work and has been
late for work for most of the days of the year. Bad news: he got a memo for
tardiness and missed that big promotion. Spell hassle. Spell bad luck.

Isn’t it ironic? The male employee brings a car to work for
convenience but ends up being hassled instead. I know some friends of mine who
even park at not so nearby hotels just for the sake of having a secured parking
space and just walk to their work places.

This is where this new application comes in that is totally
innovative and genius!

Dibz is a start-up company in the Philippines. It is a mobile
application and online marketplace for parking that allows clients to search, reserve,
and pre-pay for a parking space before he or she arrives at his or her chosen
destination around Metro Manila. It is invented mainly to help drivers in
search for parking spaces in their location of choice. This application also
helps parking owners, like those who live in condominiums, rent out their
parking spaces for those who probably work nearby, and earn money by helping
out another person. Take note, parking space in condominiums is very expensive.
So why not rent it out to others if not needed? This brilliant idea was thought
of by two individuals by the names of Donald and Leeroy. They were waiting on a
client when the client suddenly cancelled on them because Mr. Client couldn’t
find a parking space. I’m sure Mr. Client didn’t mean to cancel on them but
hey, you can’t just leave the car on hazard for a long time, right? Now that
was the start of an entrepreneurial winning idea!

Let’s go back to Mr. Employee as what I’ve mentioned earlier
and chance the scenario a bit. Mr. Employee brings his car to work. When he
arrives at the building where he works in, there’s no more parking space. Now
there is actually a high-end condominium just a few meters from Mr. Employee’s
office. Mrs. Applebee happens to own a condominium unit there and also has a
parking space but unfortunately, Mrs. Applebee’s son borrowed the car for a few
months so her parking space in the condominium. So Mrs. Applebee decided to
have her parking space rented out with the help of Dibz application. So Mr.
Employee checks his Dibz application and spots Mrs. Applebee’s parking space.
And he gets “dibs” on her parking space for two months. Mrs. Applebee earns
from renting out her unused parking space, gets to help a citizen in need and
as for Mr. Employee, no more tardy days and memos.

Dibz is definitely one of the promising start-ups in the
country right now. It definitely gives a win-win situation for both those who
want to rent out their parking spaces, and for those who desperately need
parking spaces. Everybody happy! Watch out for them. They are launching very
soon.